why would a property become listed - who would decide >?

Question

is there a reason a council would suddenly choose to list a building

as in grade II lised - old buildings etc. often stately homes are Listed to preserve them from development or redevelopment.

Answer 1

Its all about the age and looks of the property and whether putting stone cladding and double glazing on it would ruin the effect of the neighbourhood, and parish councils have a say in it too. And we all know about them, family run committees who think they have the right to tell people what to do with their own property. People who think their more important than the rest of the village, you know, nosey gits

Answer 2

It is the National Trust which decides this, but obviously they wouldn't know about a particular building if people weren't pointing them in the right direction. Lists were started in 1953 and supervised by English Heritage, and is a process of identifying and protecting our heritage. The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to maintain a list of all our buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
The classification is as follows:

Grade I These are buildings of exceptional interest (only about 2% of Listed Buildings are in this grade).

Grade II* These are particularly important buildings of more than special interest (some 4% of Listed Buildings).

Grade II These are buildings of special interest which warrant every effort being made to preserve them.

Those buildings judged to be of outstanding national importance are classified as Grade I, while buildings of particular importance and more than special interest are rated Grade II. By far the most common listing is Grade II, which signifies special interest. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the equivalent classifications are Grades A, B and C.


If your building is listed it is protected by law, limiting repair options and making some higher costs unavoidable: it is the responsibility of the owner to insure it properly. It is very important to note that the consequences of knowingly under-insuring a listed building could involve legal action. Equally, you should be aware that listed status applies to the entire property - both interior and exterior - and includes any items specially designed or commissioned, or around which part of the structure has been designed.

According to English Heritage full reinstatement will be required if more than 40% of the historic fabric has survived. However, one should beware of taking this guidance too literally: nearly all of a building may be destroyed, but the remainder could still be the most important part of the building and the entire reason for the listing.

It is potentially a great mistake to simply determine the rebuild cost by noting the exterior construction. This is not acceptable for a listed building. From the outside, a building may appear to have been built in the late eighteenth century, but the inner timber structure may date to the fifteenth century. Very often special features are frequently hidden inside, often requiring the skills of specialist craftsmen to restore after damage.

As you see, it is not a cheap matter to own a listed building.

Answer 3

Difficult to understand your true question without more information. A building can only be listed for sale by the legal owner. Sometimes the ownership can be unclear due to the actions of the previous owner. If a city council listed a building for sale it means they believe they own the building. They may have acquired the building through a number of different methods. For an example, if the taxes on the building were not paid for a long period of time then the city may have paid the taxes and the assumed ownership of the building. Does that answer your question?